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By Joe Buscaglia

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Ebron listed among 7 "elite" prospects of 2014

by Joe Buscaglia,posted Apr 28 2014 5:01PM

With the type of talent available in the 2014 NFL Draft, the word 'elite' has been thrown around in regards to a handful of different prospects. Depending on who you talk to or trust, there have been said to be anywhere from four to seven truly special players available come May 8.

Regarding the 'elite' prospects, Brooks wrote that "these players should earn Pro Bowl recognition early and rank among the top five players at their respective positions in two to three years."

While he didn't offer how many elite talents were available in the 2013 NFL Draft or any years before it, the former scout did write that he believes this year's group will surpass the instant impact that both the 2011 and 2012 drafts.

So who is part of this vaunted seven?

The first four are obvious, and have been linked to rhetoric like this for the past month or so. Those four are South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, Auburn offensive tackle Greg Robinson, Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack and Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

The other three? Well, all of which have been tied to the Bills as potential targets:

Texas A&M offensive tackle Jake Matthews, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron are all members of the 'elite.' Notably absent from those top seven are any quarterbacks and Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, who is even generating some buzz as the possible second off the board from his position over Matthews.

The Bills hinted at a similar figure, telling reporters that they believe there are five to six elite prospects available in this year's draft. In the opinion of your author, the one that doesn't carry over from Brooks' list is Evans. Out of the pass-catchers available, Watkins and Ebron look to be the apple of their eye.

Regardless of who they may or may not be targeting, for them to get a player at a helpful position they need one quarterback to be selected in the top eight of the draft. The opinion by Brooks is certainly an interesting one, considering that tight end is not normally considered to be a position worth taking in the top-10 of the draft.

However, it's a new NFL and values of positions are constantly changing. Finding a big, athletic mismatch at tight end is of increasing importance. And as Doug Whaley said on Friday, "that's the way it's going and you've gotta get with the times."